A man suspected of illegal tobacco trafficking was gunned down Thursday night in Ste-Thérèse, northwest of Montreal.
No arrest has been made.
The incident took place around 9 p.m. outside the home of the victim, a man in his 40s, who was hit by several bullets. Soon after, a burning vehicle was found in Ste-Adèle, 60 kilometres north of Ste-Thérèse.
Leaving behind a burning getaway vehicle is a frequent modus operandi of organized crime killings. Police are working to establish a link between the murder and the vehicle.
Due to possible organized crime links to the incident, the case has been transferred to the Sûreté du Québec.
The victim was on a list of about 60 people suspected of being members of a criminal organization linked to illegal biker gangs and aboriginal organized crime who were arrested last March during an undercover police operation.
That investigation involved undercover officers buying tobacco illegally imported from the United States to be sold in Kahnawake, Quebec and Six Nations, Ontario.
Between August 2014 and last March, this organization imported close to 2.1 million kilograms of tobacco, which according to the SQ represents over $530 million in lost tax revenue.
The victim of Thursday’s killing was expected to stand trial.
